Here voice was filled with impatience, “what do you mean… by that?”Her chin moved upward, and there was a mockery in her tone as she kept speaking.“Because from where I’m standing, Mr. Wentworth, it sounds suspiciously like you’re defending him.” She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder in Ryan’s direction without even looking at him. “And if you are, then—”She didn’t get the chance to finish.Mr. Wentworth’s patience, which had been dangling by a single worn thread all morning, finally snapped.His expression hardened, and without a word, he stepped forward and took hold of her arm firmly, but not rough enough to hurt.Elizabeth gasped at the contact, her eyes widening. “Excuse me? What do you think—?”He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and instantly dragged her into the office.She stumbled into the office threshold. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, jerking her arm back the moment they were fully inside. “You can’t just pull people around like that. I…”Bu

Ryan leaned back in his chair, his hands loosely clasped on the desk. His voice was calm, smooth, almost polite but it still held authority when he spoke.“If you don’t mind, Elizabeth,” he said, looking directly at her, “I’d like to have a private meeting with Mr. Wentworth. I’d appreciate it if you and Julian could step outside for now, so the space is more appropriate for the discussion. It’s a confidential matter.”The way he phrased it was gentle enough on the surface, but the message underneath was clear.She didn't belong in a place like that.Elizabeth froze. The words felt like an invisible hand pressing her backwards. It wasn’t just the request that stunned her, it was the realization of what it meant. She wasn’t in control. She wasn’t in a position to linger. This was his space, and she was being dismissed from it.Her legs felt heavy, almost unwilling to respond. For a moment she simply stood there, her eyes moving between Ryan and the floor, as if hoping someone would t

Ryan and Claudia sat together on the sofa, as Claudia went into further details about her Ex-husband Bobby.Ryan was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. His hands were loosely clasped.“So, what are you saying in essence?” he asked her with a calm voice.Claudia sat with her knees close together, her fingers twisting nervously in her lap. She had been speaking for a while, but couldn't find the best way to make Ryan have a clear picture of this man.“Just like I've said earlier, he is dangerous…” she muttered. “…He’s dangerous, Ryan,” she said again, her eyes moving toward him for a brief moment before darting away again. “You don’t know the kind of man Bobby is. He doesn’t just threaten… he follows through.”Ryan’s eyes didn’t leave the spot on the floor. His jaw flexed slowly as he listened. “You’re telling me that this man, your ex-husband, isn’t even in town right now, but he’s still making threats from wherever he is?” he asked her.“Yes,” she sa

A tall, broad-shouldered man strode toward the towering gates of the Lord’s Villa, Lord Ryder's extremely large mansion.Few had seen the inside. Even fewer had walked out after entering.The man’s heavy boots crunched against the gravel as he approached the iron gates. His black leather jacket clung to his frame, the zipper was pulled all the way up. One of the estate’s guards stepped forward from the security post. He was tall and had his suspicions the moment he set his eyes on the man. His eyes ran up and down the newcomer like he was weighing him against a list in his head.“Who are you?” the guard demanded, his voice sounded curious. The man’s voice was deep, and bold as he spoke. “My name is Bobby Greene.”The guard didn’t react immediately. He glanced at a clipboard, then back up at Bobby. “And what’s your purpose at Lord’s Villa?”“I was invited,” Bobby said, his voice was still composed. “I was Invited by Lord Ryder.”The guard’s expression didn’t change, but there was

His arm was still around Claudia, her face pressed against his chest, but his mind was already at Nova headquarters.His mind wandered around everything and then finally back to the message Lord Ryder had dropped earlier.He pulled back slightly from the embrace, his hands still resting lightly on her arms. His eyes met her eyes. “Claudia,” he said calmly, “I have to go. My secretary just called and there are people waiting for me at Nova headquarters. She said it was urgent.”Claudia’s brows furrowed. Her voice was still shaky. “You’re… you’re leaving now?”“I don’t want to,” Ryan admitted, “but whatever this is, it might be connected to what Lord Ryder said earlier. I can’t ignore it.”Her lips trembled, and fresh tears was about to spill out. “I can’t just leave, Ryan… look at it… look at everything…”Her gaze turned toward the flames. The Ricco S-Class Store, her pride, her sweat, her work all these years was now nothing but a wall of roaring fire. Ryan followed her gaze, but hi